Border Control Challenges and Recent Developments
According to Aaron Reitz, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, the Biden administration faced limitations in pursuing and prosecuting members of terrorist cartels. At a press conference held near the Texas-Mexico border, Reitz noted that the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation initiated during the Trump administration has empowered the government to regain control over the border.
Reitz stated, “The cartels essentially controlled, through a mixture of assassination, terror, rape, trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, and smuggling, all movement across our southern border.”
The designation of certain drug cartels as FTOs has proven to be a valuable tool for the U.S. Department of Justice in confronting these organizations.
Reitz elaborated, “This now equips my office and our federal partners with the capability to root out, pursue, and bring to justice some of the worst individuals and groups in the world.”
One notable case involved the apprehension and prosecution of 21-year-old Jose Angel Flores Flores, affiliated with the Gulf Cartel’s Metros faction. U.S. Border Patrol captured Flores earlier this year after he crossed illegally from Reynosa to Mission, Texas.
After his arrest, Flores provided authorities with misleading information, claiming he was a minor. However, records indicated he had been encountered and deported back in January 2025. Further investigations linked him to the Gulf Cartel, revealing his smartphone contained disturbing images and videos of him dismembering or burning bodies and posing with firearms.
Reitz conveyed that Flores confessed to being a “sicario” for the Gulf Cartel, specifically the person they contacted for body disposal tasks. With this new evidence, federal prosecutors successfully secured a criminal indictment against him, which included two terrorism-related charges alongside the immigration violation.
If not for the FTO designation, Reitz mentioned that Flores would likely have faced a minor illegal re-entry charge and been deported back to Mexico after a brief prison term, where he could potentially have resumed his criminal activities. Now, facing charges as a foreign terrorist, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years if found guilty.
When asked by Breitbart Texas whether similar charges might be pursued against other cartel members—such as lookouts, drug mules, money launderers, foreign politicians, and hitmen—Reitz confirmed, “Absolutely. This serves as a warning to anyone involved with the cartels—you’re in for something significant.”
